Regular price $ 99.00 AUD
Unit price per
tax included
Vintage Thomas Bell & Co ~ Sheffield England
This Straight razor is 5/8"" by 3" and is shave ready.
Condition:
The straight razor blade is 5/8" by 3" and has lower jimps. The metal does have some minor staining. The scales are in nice shape and the blade closes centred.
Weight: 34g
Point: Square
Grind: Hollow
Blade Width: 5/8"
Blade Length: 3"
Markings:
Thomas Bell & Co on the blade and Thomas Bell & Co on the Tang on one side and blank on the other.
History:
Thomas Bell & Co ~ Sheffield England
There is very very little information available about this razor company.
The largest market for Sheffield cutlers in the early nineteenth century was America. In 1812 6,000 people out of the working population of 18,000 were making cutlery for the American market, and it was reported a third of all manufactured goods were for export to America.
After 1840 demand increased and Sheffield dominated the market in the US. It was not until the start of the American Civil War in 1861 and the raising of American trade tariffs that Sheffield’s export trade began to decrease. American cutlers fully embraced mechanisation and mass production, which allowed them to produce cheaper goods. Competition from European cutlery centres, such as Solingen in Germany, also affected Sheffield’s trade.
Anatomy of a Straight Razor
David O'Neill - Restored & Honed by:
Every Straight Razor passes through Davids hands. He strives to maintain the original integrity of the razor and as such will rarely "unpin" the scales unless absolutely necessary. The cleaning process starts by hand with sand paper ensuring a gentle process, working up to a buffing wheel. Once the blade is back in good shape David uses water stones to set the bevel and then hone.
Gradually working his way up to 12K Japanese Stones & 30K Shapton stones, David produces an exceptional edge that is truly "Shave Ready". Examined under a 60x lens the process is finished with a leather strop and a test shave. Only then are the razors deemed ready for sale. His experience and patience guarantee you a razor that has been lovingly restored and made ready for the next generation to enjoy.
David is a retired artisan, collector and restorer from Nanaimo BC, Canada. His work is imported into Australia by The Wet Shaving Co.
These straight razors have already had 100+ yrs of product testing, they work, they work exceptionally well and will continue to work well after we have passed. Buy them, use them, enjoy them.
Each Straight Razor will come in a pouch and we will include the contacts of local craftsmen who can provide sharpening, honing services. So if at any time in the future you would like to re-sharpen them it will be an easy process.